


The Worst Kind of Company

by Tiny_Snark



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Dealing with their feelings, Getting their shit together, Hate to Love, M/M, Post-Civil War (Marvel), winteriron
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-03
Updated: 2017-02-20
Packaged: 2018-08-28 20:47:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8462428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiny_Snark/pseuds/Tiny_Snark
Summary: James Buchanan Barnes has a very odd way of asking for help, in Tony's humble opinion. Spiking his drink and kidnapping him from his birthday party? Had the guy never heard of phones before?But when Tony hears that Steve and Sam have vanished without a trace, he can't simply ignore it - as angry as he still is at his former teammate.Will Tony and Bucky manage to put their differences aside and find their friends in time? Of course they will, let's be real. The important question really is, why is this man that still haunts Tony's dreams so damn enticing?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first actual fanfiction, so I hope you guys like it. I'll try to update regularly, but I can't promise anything. So please be patient with me! Have fun :)
> 
> Edit: This work has been discontinued, because I don't feel like anybody really cares for it and I have lost my motivation therefore. Sorry, folks!

It all started with Tony’s birthday.  
With almost the whole team gone, celebrating wasn’t really something Tony was looking forward to. But he was a public figure, and one known for his legendary celebrations, so missing his birthday would only raise questions about his personal well-being that he didn’t want to answer. Not yet, anyway.  
Since Steve had vanished, Tony had become the face of the Avengers. He was the leader, he made the decisions, and he was the one Ross contacted - and that he did, at least a dozen times a day. The genius was starting to regret signing the Accords, simply because that man was so damn exhausting.  
But that also meant that he was watched more closely than ever, and Tony had always been one of the media’s most favorite targets. They were dying to know how crushed the man really was after what had happened, or whether he really was as cold as they often described him and didn’t care at all.

Tony was of course a master of deception when it came to covering up certain things to the public eye, but avoiding them would raise suspicion that he really didn’t need at the moment.  
He had to admit, everything that Sheryl had done in advance for that party was marvelous. Sheryl was basically his new PA, or rather his link to Stark Industries, which was still without a CEO months after Pepper had quit. Tony just didn’t have it in himself to replace her, a woman that was impossible to replace. Doing so meant giving up that she would ever return, and although he knew the chances of that happening were very slim, he simply couldn’t give up the hope. It was likelier than Steve or the others returning, so Tony clung to the idea.  
Now, Sheryl was no Pepper, but she was doing a very decent job. She was dedicated, eager to do a good job. Maybe sometimes a bit too eager, but that was normal for a woman of her age in her position.

So Tony had taken a seat at the bar and watched the people around, celebrating, drinking and dancing. He knew Rhodey was somewhere among the crowd, but even with that knowledge he had never felt more like a stranger on his own birthday party than he did tonight. None of these people were very close to him, in fact there were some faces he didn’t think he’d ever seen before. But that might just be him, he had always been terrible with names and faces. He remembered people better when he gave them nicknames, like he had with Rhodey, with Pepper and with Happy.

The last time he’d felt so lost during a party had probably been around the time when he expected to be celebrating his last birthday party. When he thought he was going to die. And yet, this felt even worse. He couldn’t even bring himself to put on a smile, not even after his third drink and the fifth pretty lady trying to seduce him. It was simply too much. He needed air.

Considering summer was coming nearer, it was a pretty cold night. But Tony didn’t mind that when he stepped out onto the patio, it actually helped clear his head a bit. It smelled like smoke, there was an ashtray on the railing that was already pretty filled, and for the first time in quite a while, Tony felt the urge to smoke as well. But he had no cigarettes on him, and there was nobody around to ask, which was probably for the better. Pepper would kill him if he -  
No. Right.

Tony ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. When had he gotten to this point? He didn’t really care about anything anymore. There was nothing left to care about, really. What he had considered his family, his home for the past couple years was gone, and it wouldn’t ever be like that again. It made him wonder, once more in his life, why Rhodey was still there. Thirty years and counting and the man had never left his side. Tony was incredibly grateful for it, but he never really felt like he deserved it.  
A small smile lay on his lips as he imagined telling Rhodey that. He would get so mad when Tony said things like this, would tell him that they were brothers, and brothers stick together no matter what.

A couple minutes passed when Tony heard somebody stepping up behind him. He didn’t turn around, just watched the city before them. „Pretty, isn’t it?“, he asked the stranger. „I always found New York the prettiest at night. It just has this… Shine to it.“  
There was a silence for a moment, then the man stepped forward and Tony noticed a tray in his peripheral vision. „Drink, Sir?“, a male voice asked him.  
Tony didn’t hesitate and grabbed the glass, champagne probably, and downed it in one gulp. „I probably shouldn’t“, he said as he put the glass back on the tray, chuckling. „But who cares anyway? Besides, what’s a birthday party without a drunk host.“

He was again faced with silence, but he felt that the man was still standing behind him. „You should probably head back inside, it’s less tragic in there“, Tony told the waiter. „You’re just gonna get depressed out here.“ Nothing. Well, his company didn’t seem very talkative, so Tony might as well keep talking. „I seem to have forgotten how to party“, he mused. „Normally I would be the center of the room, people cheering me on as I do all kinds of stupid shit. Like stripping.“ He smiled a bit. „I always did have a little exhibitionist in me.“

When he was again met with silence, Tony was starting to get a bit confused. What was the guy still doing here if he didn’t want to talk to him? And why were the city lights starting to get so blurry? Had he been drinking that much already?  
Tony turned around to face the waiter, but he could barely see him. His head was spinning, he was starting to feel very heavy, tired. The man before him was taller and broader than him, and what Tony could make out was that he didn’t really look like the average waiter.  
But before he could start to guess who this person was, or even what was happening to him, the world around him vanished and his vision went black.  
  


* * *

  
A terrible headache woke Tony up again, a small groan escaped his lips. He pressed his hands to his eyes, blocking out the light that was hitting his face from some window.

„Painkillers on the table“, a voice told him, not too far away from him. A voice that seemed somehow familiar, but he couldn’t really put his finger on it.  
Blindly he reached around himself, realizing that he was lying on a sofa, and he found a glass of water, which he nearly knocked over. Next to it were a couple pills, which he swallowed without really thinking about it.  
It took some time to get used to the light, but when he did, he looked up at the ceiling, trying to think. What had happened last night? What did he still remember?  
He’d been at his birthday party, outside. Somebody had come and brought him a drink. And then he’d lost consciousness.

Tony sat up suddenly, realization hitting him. He’d been roofied. That drink had been spiked. A quick look down relieved him a bit, he was still dressed. And he figured he would feel it if he’d been taken advantage of.  
Next he looked around the place, a hotel room, as he only noticed now. It was pretty small and dirty, and he looked very out of place. Had somebody kidnapped him? But what for? And why wasn’t he tied up or something?

„You should eat something“, the voice said, and this time Tony looked up to see where it came from. Seated in an armchair by the window, straight and tensed, was none other than James Buchanan Barnes.  
Tony was up in an instant and reached for his wrist, activating the gauntlet. Barnes raised his hand - only one, as Tony noticed - showing he meant no harm. „I’m not going to hurt you, Stark. I’m not here for that.“  
„What are you here for, then?“, Stark asked, not lowering his hand. He wasn’t taking any chances.

Barnes looked awful, to say the least. He had dark circles under his eyes, his hair was messy and the clothes he was wearing rather dirty. The left arm was still missing, which made Tony wonder for a moment how he’d managed to kidnap him with just one arm. Then again as far as he knew Barnes was about as strong as Steve, maybe one arm was all he needed.  
„I need your help“, the man said.  
„My help“, Tony repeated incredulously. „Don’t you have your best buddy to turn to? I heard you guys have settled down in Wakanda.“

Barnes shot Tony a deadly glare. „It’s about Steve, actually.“  
Tony snorted. „Then I’m not interested. Besides, who kidnaps a person to ask for their help?!“  
There was a silence for a moment that Tony was already getting used to, Barnes didn’t really seem like a man of many words. Or maybe that was just because they hated each other’s guts.  
„He’s gone“, Barnes finally said. „Steve is gone. And so is Sam.“

That surprised Tony so much that he lowered his arm a bit, frowning in confusion. „What do you mean, ‚gone‘?“  
„I mean they left us a month ago to take down one of HYDRA’s old bases, and they haven’t returned. They haven’t even contacted us“, Barnes explained. „I have been looking for them, but the trail ended in Russia.“  
Tony was quiet for a moment, just watching the other man. This could be a very clever ruse, a way to get him to follow him, but what for? Barnes didn’t really have an interest in him, if anything he’d probably avoid his company, after what had happened last time. It was difficult to look at his face, the video still spooking in Tony’s mind, but he did look honest, at least. Honestly worried about his friend. And no matter what had happened between them, Tony didn’t want Steve dead. He never had.

„Let’s say I believe you“, Tony started slowly, „What exactly do you expect me to do?“  
At that, Barnes just shrugged. „You’re supposed to be a genius. I’m sure you can help somehow.“  
Tony stared, once more incredulously. „Fantastic plan, man.“  
„I didn’t know where else to go“, Barnes admitted. „T’Challa can’t help me, he’s got a country to lead. Barton and Lang are back with their families, and Wanda isn’t really cut out for this kind of mission.“

Tony sat back down on the sofa and rubbed his face, sighing. This was a mess. There was the man he still had nightmares about sitting across of him, asking him for help after kidnapping him from his own birthday party. Tony wondered if anybody even noticed that he’d vanished or if they’d all been too drunk already.  
„One month, you said?“, he asked, looking over at the other again. Barnes nodded. „That’s one hell of a long time. Why did you only come here now?“

Barnes actually smirked a bit at that. „I’m a wanted man, Stark. You know that. It’s not easy getting to the states when you’re wanted.“  
Tony felt a bit stupid for asking, so he didn’t push further. His thoughts went back to Steve and Sam, vanished while taking on HYDRA, that definitely didn’t sound good. And as angry as he still was at Steve, he couldn’t just ignore this and send Barnes away.

„Alright then“, he sighed. „Where do we start?“


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank god for comments, I totally forgot that this piece is waiting for me here! So here finally comes the update. I hope you guys enjoy it. And I'll try not to make you wait for months and months again.
> 
> Edit: This work has been discontinued, because I don't feel like anybody really cares for it and I have lost my motivation therefore. Sorry, folks!

Chapter 2

 

It was icy cold, and once more in his life Tony was seriously glad about the heating in his suit. He could barely see anything in the snow, except for the figure right before him making its way up the mountain. Barnes seemed unfazed by the cold. If it bothered him at all, he was doing an excellent job hiding it.  
Luckily, the man was easily visible in his black gear against the white snow. Tony had joked about someone at HYDRA definitely having a leather kink. Barnes didn’t seem to find that very funny.  
  
In fact, Barnes didn’t seem to find anything amusing. Or enjoyable. Or sad, or even infuriating. In all the time Tony had spent around the other since he had kidnapped him, he hadn’t shown many emotional outbreaks. Confusion, sometimes, but other than that, nothing.  
Barnes also had a serious case of RBF, which made it difficult to determine whether he was thinking about breaking Tony’s back or cute little kittens. It unnerved Tony quite a lot.  
  
After the initial shock of being kidnapped by the embodiment of a rainy birthday, Tony had taken Barnes back to the headquarters. He’d interviewed him all night and well into the morning about the mission and what else he knew of Steve and Sam’s last whereabouts, getting short, precise replies that sounded as if he’d learned them by heart. That was probably the soldier in him.  
  
And then he’d gone to work. Dug out every piece of information he had on HYDRA - he had done his homework on that, trying desperately to find a guilty party to punish for the murder of his parents. Had FRIDAY monitor news websites and blogs all over the world for anything, the smallest hint that could lead them to the two men.  
  
It took time, and Tony noticed Barnes getting more and more restless. He was walking around the lab like a tiger in a cage, touching and picking up stuff here and there with no apparent actual interest in them. It drove Tony insane, and he would have loved to send him away at that point, but his lab was the only place nobody could just walk into, and therefore the only safe place for Barnes to be in. So he let him stay, and did his best not to snap at him.  
  
Tony was eternally grateful for FRIDAY when she finally got them the hint that they needed. He was still getting used to her, missed JARVIS awfully, but she was starting to grow on him. And of course she was especially useful in situation like this, where no monitoring program would have worked as precise as she did.  
It was footage of a security camera in India, barely worth viewing really, nothing exciting was happening on it. Except FRIDAY had spotted a man in the video that at first appeared rather normal and much like a tourist. If you looked closely though, the backpack on his shoulders looked suspiciously technical, and very much like Sam’s Falcon wings. She even pointed out a very small, pixelated part of the video that could very likely be the Stark Industries logo.  
  
Now leaving his post behind just like that wasn’t very easy. Nobody would believe him suddenly wanting to go on a vacation, even though Rhodey had nagged him about it for ages. Tony was a workaholic, and only left his work when he was forced to.  
So he turned to Natasha for help. He didn’t tell her what it was about, she’d probably want to tag along and that would only make things even more complicated than they already were. Luckily, Natasha didn’t ask nearly as many questions as Rhodey or anybody else would have. Together they gave a very convincing show of Tony having a breakdown during a routine mission that endangered the team. It didn’t really, of course, Natasha had the situation under control, but it was real enough for the others to believe it. Worried about his mental state, Ross suspended Tony for the time being and put Vision in charge. He also sent him to a therapist, who prescribed Tony a long vacation away from the Avengers and from work. That had taken some research and coaching by Natasha as well, but Tony was rather proud how easily he managed to push the therapist in that direction while maintaining his image. His ‚protests‘ met deaf ears, and so he ‚agreed‘ to the change of scenery.  
  
Since that maneuver had taken a while to play out, they really had no time left to spare. So he packed his newest suit and Barnes into his private jet, and off they were to India.  
With an enhanced photo of the man from the footage, they asked their way around the town, concentrating on the area around the security camera. Or rather Tony asked his way around with some Hindi words and lots of gesturing while Barnes followed him like a shadow, his hat pulled down into his face.  
  
Tony was getting pretty discouraged with all the negative replies they got, but then finally, they got lucky. It was an old lady that recognized the man, the owner of a super small, cute shop Tony almost would’ve passed if Barnes hadn’t grabbed his arm to stop him. She was telling them something neither of them really understood, and Tony made a mental note to develop an accurate translation device for occasions like this. She ended up giving them a map and marked a point up on the mountain a couple of miles from the town. Tony gave her a generous tip before they headed off.  
  
So now here they were, up on the icy mountain, surrounded by nothing but snow. Barnes hadn’t been happy about being carried up by Tony, but it had been the quickest way of reaching the place they needed to go to. He had landed when he couldn’t see anything anymore, and now he was following the other, the map open inside his helmet. He didn’t need it, though, Barnes was walking in the right direction without even using it. That had to be some secret superpower, Tony thought to himself as Barnes made a slight turn and climbed past a large rock covered by snow.  
  
Finally something appeared between all that snow, a large, wooden hut right by the top of the mountain. The windows were dark, it seemed nobody was home. Tony joined Barnes by the entrance, typing something into the control panel on his arm. „Hold on, I’m gonna pick the lock“, he told the other, only to wince slightly at a sudden, very loud noise. He looked up in confusion, only to realize Barnes wasn’t standing next to him anymore. The guy had actually just kicked the door in as Tony had been distracted. „Well, that’s one way to do it“, Tony murmured and followed him inside, shutting the door behind him - as far as it was possible.  
  
He had expected to find some sort of living area, a comfy room with a fireplace or something like that. He hadn’t expected to find a laboratory on top of this mountain. There were machines and work spaces that were far more advanced than the average lab equipment, more of Tony’s league than anything, and he didn’t like that at all. „What the hell is this?“, he murmured with a frown, getting out of the suit and joining Barnes at some odd machine. The man was staring at it, unmoved, and sort of tensed, as Tony realized. „Barnes? You alright?“, Tony asked when he got no reply.  
  
„This is the chair“, the other replied. His voice was as deep and cold as ever, but Tony detected a slight shiver in it. It took him a moment to understand what Barnes was talking about.  
„Wait - you mean, this is the thing they used to, you know - fry your brain?“ As Barnes nodded, Tony looked around the place again. „So, they brought you here to do that?“  
At that, Barnes shook his head, his eyes still not leaving the machine. „I have never been here.“  
Tony didn’t like the sound of that. If this thing was still in use, who knew what was happening up here. How many mindless soldiers HYDRA still had. It was unlikely they had any other super soldiers, Zemo had made short work of those, but it definitely could come in handy for a dark organization like them to have certain people in their hands.  
  
An then an even worse thought came to his mind. If HYDRA had somehow gotten to Steve and Sam, and they had used this thing on them… He turned away now, alarmed, and started to search the hut for any hints that would help them find their friends. He was rummaging through some drawers when he heard Barnes voice again. „Stark“, the man called, standing by the window. Tony rushed over to him and followed his eyes. At first, he could see nothing in the snow, but then, a bit above them, a black spot was coming nearer, getting bigger. A second later, a man with wings had landed just outside the hut. Tony immediately recognized those wings, but that definitely wasn’t Sam wearing them. „Better get back in your suit“, Barnes warned, and Tony agreed. He headed over to the corner where he’d left it, and just as the helmet closed, the broken door was pushed open.  
  
Barnes had drawn the gun from his belt and aimed for the man’s head, his eyes flaring with cold anger. „You.“  
„Ah… The lost boy returns.“ The man at the door grinned as he shut the door, his eyes fixed on Barnes. Tony stayed in the shadows for now, waiting for the right moment to attack. „Don’t worry, soldier. We will have you up and running again in no time.“ The man took a few steps closer, and now as the light hit his face, Tony could see him properly. He was rather old, white hair thin on his head and wearing thick glasses. On his back were Sam’s wings, and he was carrying a bag with what looked like groceries. Then he spoke again, changing to Russian for some reason. „Желание“, he said, taking another step forward. „Ржавый. Семнадцать.“  
  
Tony had some trouble understanding the words. He had taken up Russian a while ago, but he had let it slide. Yet when he saw the look of panic in Barnes’ eyes, he put two and two together, and charged. He grabbed the man by his neck and crashed him right to the ground, his gauntlet pressed to his mouth. „No, you fucking don’t“, he huffed, quite enjoying the shock and fear in the stranger’s eyes. Keeping him pinned to the ground, Tony lifted the face plate and turned back to Barnes, who seemed to have a mix of emotions between panic and burning fury. He had his gun still aimed at them, which worried Tony a bit. „Hey, come on, buddy, relax? I got him under control.“  
Barnes stepped over, past Tony, until he could crouch right by his head. He pressed the gun to the man’s temple. „Barnes“, Tony said warningly, tense as well now. „Don’t.“  
The other ignored him as he looked down at the man. When he spoke, his voice was no longer shivering, but the fury was evident. „Where is Steve?“  
  
Tony was rather relieved that Barnes had not forgotten what they were here for, and pulled his hand off the guy’s mouth. He didn’t let him move even an inch, though. Not that he was trying, really, he seemed terrified, now that he no longer had any power here. Judging from this place anyway, he was probably just a scientist, not a soldier. „I d-don’t know what you’re talking about“, he stammered, whimpering as Barnes pushed the gun harder against his temple.  
„Try again“, the soldier snarled.  
„I - “ He trailed off, looking up at Barnes in terror. „Alright“, he said after a moment, swallowing hard. „They brought them here. I wiped them.“  
  
Tony exchanged a brief look with Barnes, and he could see his repulsion mirrored in his expression. „Where are they now?“  
„I don’t know“, the man replied, whimpering again as Barnes increased the pressure of the gun against his head once more. „I don’t know, I swear!“  
„Guess, then“, Tony suggested. „Since you seem to know so much about Barnes, I’m sure you know where they’d take their brainwashed soldiers.“  
„I - I guess - Siberia - “  
„Destroyed“, Barnes grumbled right away. „Not there.“  
„Then - maybe - N-Namibia?“  
  
Tony looked at Barnes questioningly, the other shrugged. „It’s possible.“  
„P-Please, don’t kill me“, the man whimpered.  
„We’re not killing you“, Tony huffed. He got up and pulled the man along. With his free hand, he pulled off Sam’s wings from the man’s back and handed them to Barnes, who put one strap over his shoulder. „Let’s go.“  
  


* * *

  
The silence on the jet was deafening. Tony tried his best not to think about what had happened to Steve and Sam, but it was difficult. He glanced at Barnes across him, who was sitting straight in his seat, staring out the window. He hadn’t said a word since they’d left the hut on the mountain, and Tony couldn’t blame him. „You alright, Barnes?“, he asked, watching him carefully.  
The other didn’t turn or even showed any sign that he’d heard him. Tony was about to turn away, not expecting an answer anymore, when he spoke. „He used my trigger words.“  
„That stuff in Russian?“, Tony inquired, but he didn’t need to hear the reply. „It’s odd that he knew them.“  
„Hardly“, Barnes said quietly. „He worked with Pierce.“  
  
Tony remembered that story, the whole SHIELD is HYDRA mess, although all he knew was what Steve and Natasha had told them. „I see“, he hummed, then fell silent again for while. „I thought you’d kill him“, he admitted then. It had looked like he wanted to, at least.  
Barnes finally turned at that and Tony met those piercing blue eyes, and the view made Tony’s heart break. There was sadness, guilt, and pain in them, they looked much too old for a guy so young. „I don’t do that anymore“, he said softly, though with some kind of emphasis to it. As if he hoped, desperately, that Tony would believe him. The genius felt a sudden wave of affection that he couldn’t quite explain and swallowed hard, unable to tear his eyes away. Barnes did it for him, eventually, looking back out the window.  
  
Tony followed his example, watching the dark clouds passing by them, lost in thoughts. James Buchanan Barnes, the man that still spooked his dreams. That human block of ice that barely spoke to him, that he really barely even knew, if he was honest. Tony was still tense in his presence, in a way, and he doubted that would change very soon.  
And yet, at this moment, he wanted nothing more than to hug the man. Tell him it was alright. That he was doing fine. That Tony had forgiven him, or rather, that there really wasn’t anything to forgive.  
  
As their destination was drawing nearer, Tony got up to ready the suit. Without really thinking about it, he put a hand on Barnes shoulder and squeezed it gently as he walked past.  
Tony couldn’t see it as he vanished in the back of the plane, but this small gesture, this hint of a peace offering, brought a small smile to Bucky’s lips.


End file.
